If sudden illness etc., causes the driver of a vehicle to become abnormal in condition, the driver cannot suitably operate the vehicle or monitor the vehicle. For this reason, monitoring the driver condition and detecting any abnormal condition in the driver so as to secure the host vehicle and other vehicles may be desirable in some instances.
In the past, several methods have been proposed for detecting an abnormal condition of the driver. For example, PLT 1 discloses detecting that the driver is not in a condition able to drive based on facial information of the driver detected after external force is applied to the vehicle while running (magnitude of amplitude of movement of head). Further, PLT 2 discloses detecting the driver condition based on facial information of the driver (line of sight information, blinking information, facial direction information, etc.), heartbeat information, breathing information, brainwave information, etc.